Local

Raleigh, NC – A slate of bills greeted members of the House back to Raleigh as the short session kicked off at around noon. And on this first day many lawmakers from the region focused on the word short in this session's moniker.

After a ceremony by the North Carolina Highway Patrol honor guard, members of the House got down to business introducing more than a dozen new bills, including ones to cut the gas tax, raise the state minimum wage and eliminate the new requirement of mandatory eye exams for kindergartners.

Wilmington, NC – While residents in some parts of Wilmington remain concerned about the impact Autumn Hall will have on traffic, Wilmington city planners say it's a good example of actually reducing congestion on major roads. And they point to a more established Wilmington neighborhood's road system as an example of what failing to plan for traffic can look like. WHQR's Catherine Welch explains.

When asked about the dwindling federal dollars for inlet dredging and whether the state should take over funding for dredging Herring says the like the new state Lottery, lawmakers should find a creative solution to drum up money for dredging.

Herring has worked for IBM and is currently a musician playing saxophone.

When asked whether children of undocumented residents should be offered in-state tuition to public schools if they have spent at least four years in a state school system, he says there needs to be more research on the issue.

Herring studied political science at Fayetteville State and is the father of a son. When asked what needs to be done to bring more qualified teachers to North Carolina schools, he says the state needs to offer competitive employment packages.